Philly man charged for shoving officer outside the Capitol on Jan. 6

A West Philadelphia man who told FBI agents he shoved a police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol to protect another rioter became on Thursday the latest Pennsylvanian charged in connection with the attack.

Kenneth Giusini Sr., 67, faces felony charges of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder that, should he be convicted, could send him to prison for up to five years.

In court papers, investigators said Giusini’s ex-girlfriend helped identify him in photos and videos posted to social media recording his movements in Washington that day.

» READ MORE: Philly Proud Boy who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 with the group’s top leaders pleads guilty

When they confronted him at his Packer Park apartment in December, Giusini said he’d traveled with her to Washington to attend then-President Donald Trump’s rally on the Ellipse only to leave her on the Capitol steps to join in on the riot.

Security footage showed Giusini only briefly managed to push his way inside the building through a door on its north side, prosecutors said.

Though he would later tell agents that officers appeared to be letting people in, video shows he was among a crowd that was quickly repelled by officers and forced back outside.

It was then, authorities said, that Giusini shoved his arm into an officer struggling to keep the crowd at bay.

» READ MORE: A N.J. man wore a jacket with his name and phone number to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. FBI agents used it to track him down.

In his December interview with FBI agents, Giusini maintained he only laid hands on the man to prevent himself from toppling onto another rioter who had fallen to the ground behind him.

But investigators reviewing the officers’ body camera footage say it told a different story: The man Giusini claimed to be protecting had regained his footing well before Giusini’s shove.

What’s more, they said in court filings Thursday, Giusini put his hands on the officer at least one other time as other police tried to pull their colleague back through the Capitol’s doors.

The officer did not report any significant injury from the scuffle.

» READ MORE: The Bucks County man behind the moment that kicked off the Jan. 6 Capitol riot convicted at trial

Giusini could not be reached for comment Thursday, and court records did not indicate whether he had retained an attorney.

More than 95 Pennsylvanians — including seven people from Philadelphia — have been charged in connection with the riot since January 2021. More than 70 of them have been convicted either through guilty pleas or at trial.